MULTIDIMENSIONAL GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATIONS

• US 20130046853A1
• Filed: 08/20/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pfaqutruma Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Utherverse, Inc.
• Inventors: Shuster, Brian, Burch, Aaron, Zarry, Zachary, Herling, Dirk, Shuster, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 8,572,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5586 for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/024 Multi-user, collaborative environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 : Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 : where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

Systems and methods of virtual world interaction, operation, implementation, instantiation, creation, and other functions related to virtual worlds (note that where the term “virtual world” is used herein, it is to be understood as referring to virtual world systems, virtual environments reflecting real, simulated, fantasy, or other structures, and includes information systems that utilize interaction within a 3D environment). Various embodiments facilitate interoperation between and within virtual worlds, and may provide consistent structures for operating virtual worlds. The disclosed embodiments may further enable individuals to build new virtual worlds within a framework, and allow third party users to better interact with those worlds.

Claims

1. A method of representing a three-dimensional space via a computer network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a virtual worlds service provider configured to operate a three-dimensional virtual world, a request for access to the three-dimensional virtual world;

determining whether the request should be served with three-dimensional virtual world data or a two-dimensional representation of the three-dimensional virtual world data, the determination being based on the content of the request for access;

in response to determining that the request should be served with three-dimensional virtual world data, transmitting the three dimensional virtual world data; and

in response to determining that the request should be served with a two-dimensional representation of the three-dimensional virtual world data;

generating a two-dimensional representation based on the existing state of the three-dimensional virtual world; and

transmitting user interface data including the two-dimensional representation, the user interface data including executable code configured to enable a user to interact with the three-dimensional virtual world using a two-dimensional interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the request should be served with three-dimensional virtual world data or a two-dimensional representation of the three-dimensional virtual world data comprises determining a protocol associated with the request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the request should be served with three-dimensional virtual world data or a two-dimensional representation of the three-dimensional virtual world data comprises determining a user agent associated with the request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the two-dimensional representation comprises identifying a vantage point within the three-dimensional virtual world and transmitting a two-dimensional rendering of the virtual world based on the identified vantage point.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the vantage point is identified based on an identifier in the request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable code is configured to present a chat interface enabling the user to send and receive messages within the three-dimensional virtual world.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting an avatar representation into the three-dimensional virtual world in response to determining that the request should be served with a two-dimensional representation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the avatar representation is configured to indicate that the user associated with the avatar is accessing the two-dimensional representation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface data is configured to be indexable by a search engine.

10. A computer system configured to represent a three-dimensional space via a computer network, the computer system comprising:

computer-readable storage having stored thereon a plurality of modules implemented as executable instructions;

one or more computer processors configured to execute the plurality of modules;

a request processing module configured to receive a request for access to the three-dimensional virtual world;

a dimensionality assessment module configured to determine whether the request should be served with three-dimensional virtual world data or a two-dimensional representation of the three-dimensional virtual world data, the determination being based on the content of the request for access;

a three-dimensional content module configured to respond to a determination that the request should be served with three-dimensional virtual world data, by transmitting the three dimensional virtual world data; and

a two-dimensional content module configured to respond to a determination that the request should be served with a two-dimensional representation of the three-dimensional virtual world data, by;

generating a two-dimensional representation based on the existing state of the three-dimensional virtual world; and

transmitting user interface data including the two-dimensional representation, the user interface data including executable code configured to enable a user to interact with the three-dimensional virtual world using a two-dimensional interface.